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Careers: Research Associate

Dec 18, 2018

About the Peterson Foundation

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organization established by Pete Peterson – businessman, philanthropist, and former U.S. Secretary of Commerce. The Foundation works to secure a healthy, growing economy by addressing America’s long-term fiscal challenges. It partners with leading policy experts, elected officials, and the public to build support for solutions to put America on a sustainable fiscal path. As a non-partisan organization, the Foundation engages in grant-making, partnerships, and research to educate and involve Americans from a variety of perspectives.

We seek to achieve our mission by developing broad reach, a high-impact public profile, expert positioning, and communications strategies directed toward public policy areas and the American public at large.

To accomplish our objectives, we seek creative, committed, and knowledgeable individuals from diverse professional backgrounds who are able and willing to explore new technologies and approaches, as well as use more traditional means, to move forward the public policy debate on our issues.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Vice President of Research, the Research Associate will carry out research and analyses on current economic and budgetary issues facing the United States.

The successful candidate will be part of a team of policy analysts who research and write about budget and economic policies. The team also oversees the work of grantees and external partners. In recent months, the team has published analyses of some of the major budget proposals before the Congress, worked with leading policy analysts from think tanks across the political spectrum to develop analyses of major policy issues, and prepared primers for the public.

Responsibilities:

Providing research support to the Foundation’s top leadership

Publishing analyses of budget proposals from the Congress and Administration

Summarizing important economic and fiscal reports for a general audience

Creating visual representations of complex budget and economic data

Helping management identify new areas for research and funding

Developing and managing relationships with potential and existing grantees

Collaborating with colleagues from other departments on joint projects

Supporting events sponsored by the Foundation, such as the Fiscal Summit

Qualifications

Strong quantitative abilities required. Demonstrated research and analytical skills, including the ability to gather, synthesize, and summarize large amounts of information and focus quickly on the essence of an issue.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information and concepts into accessible forms. Clear, effective writing style is a must.

Knowledge about U.S. economic and budget policy. Experience working in a policy environment is strongly preferred.

Strong interpersonal skills. Applicants should be able to develop and manage productive and collaborative relationships both internally and externally.

Ability to think independently, strategically, and creatively.

Adeptness in juggling multiple priorities, adjusting to changing circumstances, organizing time efficiently, and remaining attentive to details. Ability to take initiative and meet deadlines in a fast-paced, fluid environment.

Candidates with Master’s degrees in public policy, public administration, or public finance and budgeting are preferred.

To Apply

To apply, please send a brief letter summarizing your interest and a resume to careers@pgpf.org. Subject header on the e-mail should be: “Research Associate Application.”

The Peter G. Peterson Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply for this position.

Careers

Learn more about working for the Foundation and what positions are available.